


Keeping Promises

by IngridAnne24



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 16:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7940626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IngridAnne24/pseuds/IngridAnne24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night of Emily and Alison's kiss in 7x10</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keeping Promises

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written Emison in like 28 years (more like two and a half) because I hadn't been motivated by it in a while, but 7x10 got me. That innocent little kiss got me.
> 
> Um, I don't want to wait 7 months for 7B thanks

Guilt pulsed in the back of her head. Guilt about what, she didn't know, but it was there, nagging at her. Maybe it was guilt that she was kissing Alison DiLaurentis, someone who had just found out she was pregnant by her maybe-dead-ex-husband, who tortured her. It didn't seem right.

But then, she remembered Alison was the one who kissed her. She swore it wasn't out of vulnerability, and Emily mostly believed her.

Alison kissed her, not the other way around. Five years since they slept together, five years since they slept together and never talked about it. A decade since they met each other, and Alison kissed Emily.

It wasn't the first time Alison kissed Emily, Emily remembered. Outside of that barn, after Emily had passed out from carbon monoxide. Emily had thought she was dreaming, believing Alison to be dead. She forced down any hope, because Alison was dead and that was that. Then Alison turned out to be alive, and things changed. Things were also complicated, to put it mildly. 

Their relationship—friendship or romantic—had to be put on the back-burner because they had other things to worry about.

Even now didn't feel like quite the right time, because until recently Alison was married (the fact he turned out to be a psychopath was just another layer to that) and now she was pregnant. It both felt like the worst possible time for them to be doing this, but also, it felt like the best time. Their relationship in the past, when they were kids, was problematic because Alison was closed off, denying her feelings for Emily, and Emily didn't know what she wanted.

Alison was also not the best person. While Emily did miss that tough side of Alison, she didn't miss that manipulative side. 

“I'm sorry,” Alison gasped, pulling away just enough so the tips of their noses touched.

“For what? You've apologized before.”

“For...” Alison swallowed. “For not doing this sooner. We should have talked about what happened that night, but we didn't. I pushed it away, like I always do. Then...”

Emily remembered what happened. Alison and Mona had a thing, Mona got Alison to hit her, and things unraveled from there. Then when Mona seemingly died, they all thought Alison did it. They actually accused Alison of murdering someone, and they did that recently too.

As Emily remembered all the things they did to Alison, the accusations, the set-up, getting her thrown in prison, she felt sick.

“Ali, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry,” Emily said, her voice cracking. “All that shit we put you through...”

Alison shook her head. “I was angry. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But I spent so much of my life holding grudges, using my anger to control people. I'm 23 years old and I've already 'died', been on the run, been to prison, married, in a mental hospital, and now pregnant. So much has happened already, and I've put you, and everyone else, through too much. I'm done. I'm not holding grudges, I'm just moving forward.”

 

Emily moved back and really took a good look at Alison. This girl, this woman, had really changed. She looked so tired and broken, but also open. She looked utterly ready to accept whatever was next, and Emily was both proud of her and sad for her.

“Rollins, Archer, whatever his name is, or was, he's a bastard,” Emily said, anger flaring up in her belly at the very mention of his name. “I can't... I can't imagine how you feel, Ali. But you didn't deserve what happened to you.”

When Alison looked doubtful at that, Emily grabbed her face. “You didn't deserve that.”

“I can't believe I actually loved him,” Alison scoffed.

“Ali, I don't want to speak for how you felt, but he might have made you think you loved him. He manipulated you. He manipulated all of us, in some way.”

Alison exhaled sharply through her nose.

“Remember, there are people who do love you. I-- we all love you, Jason loves you...” Emily almost said Mary too, but she didn't know what that woman's motives were. And her father hadn't been seen in a while, so she didn't mention him either. “We all care about you and love you.”

Tears formed in Alison's eyes again, and this time, Emily didn't wipe them away. Alison opened her mouth a couple times, no words coming out, but then...

“I love you, Emily.”

Alison had said, “this is why I love you” (a long, long time ago) and “love you,” but never exclusively “I love you.” In the English language, this was different. To Emily Fields, this was different.

“I love you, too, Ali,” Emily gasped.

Emily kissed Alison this time, holding her close. This kiss was deeper, more urgent. But there was no tugging of clothes or wandering hands. Not like the last time. The last time was nice, but it seemed rushed, and they didn't mention it the next morning. Alison had already gotten out of bed and dressed before Emily even woke up.

Emily didn't believe the sex was a mistake, but it wasn't how she imagined her first time with Alison would be (not that she thought about it a lot). And right now, sex was the last thing on her mind.

They eventually moved onto their sides, Alison partially on top of Emily, to compensate for the lack of room. 

Emily could tell it was late, and they had been kissing for awhile, but she didn't want to stop. Despite what was happening, there was no tension, no manipulation, no rush. It was just them. And movie playing dully in the background.

Alison's kisses started to become slower, more lazy. She broke away to yawn, and before she could try to kiss Emily again, Emily gently shushed her and pulled her closer. Alison rested her head on Emily's chest and in a matter of seconds, she was asleep.

Emily remembered the times she had watched Alison fall asleep. The more recent times were too painful to think about, but there was one moment she remembered from five years ago. When Alison had just been attacked, and Emily rescued her, Alison had also been threatening to leave, fearing for her safety. That night, with Alison curled up in her bed, Emily stayed up all night, worried either something would happen to Alison or she would get up in the middle of the night and leave. Everytime Emily felt the sting in her eyes, her body urging her to sleep, she looked over at Alison and remembered she would do anything to protect Alison.

And as she watched Alison, peacefully asleep, before nightmares would likely creep in, that promise she had made five years ago rang true again. Whatever Alison decided in terms of the pregnancy, Emily would be there for her.


End file.
